Mine WiFi and Method

ABSTRACT

A telecommunications system for a mine with tunnels having a plurality of nodes disposed in the tunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi with devices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, a first radio with a first antenna disposed at least partially in the enclosure within the housing directed for communication in a first direction relative to the node, a second radio with a second antenna disposed at least partially in the enclosure within the housing directed for communication in a second direction essentially opposite the first direction, and a power supply in electrical communication with the first and second radios to power the first and second radios. A method of a telecommunications system for a mine. A method of a Wifi node for a mine. A Wifi node for a mine. An apparatus for holding an object in a mine.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/913,084filed Mar. 6, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,606,679, which is a divisionalof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/290,755 filed May 29, 2014, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,992,610 issued Jun. 5, 2018, which is a nonprovisionalof U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/832,259 filed Jun. 7,2013, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to WiFi in a mine using a node that hasa first radio directed for communication in a first direction in themine and a second radio directed for communication in a second directionin the mine essentially opposite the first direction. (As used herein,references to the “present invention” or “invention” relate to exemplaryembodiments and not necessarily to every embodiment encompassed by theappended claims.) More specifically, the present invention is related toWiFi in a mine using a node that has a first radio directed forcommunication in a first direction in the mine and a second radiodirected for communication in a second direction in the mine essentiallyopposite the first direction and which has a range of at least 2000 ft.in the first direction and the second direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofthe art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention.The following discussion is intended to provide information tofacilitate a better understanding of the present invention. Accordingly,it should be understood that statements in the following discussion areto be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Underground mining is harsh on hardware and harsh on RF. Physically,there are tight spaces with moving equipment that can strike thehardware or rocks can fall and shift that damage hardware. RF does notperform well either in the mine environment. The presence of a multitudeof metal objects scatter RF, the makeup of rock/coal or other ore eitherabsorbs or scatters RF at different frequencies. These and other issuescut down both the distance and speed wireless connections can provide inmines. For this reason fiber optic cable is commonly utilized as acarrier for communication in a mine.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a plurality of nodes disposed in thetunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi withdevices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, afirst radio with a first antenna disposed completely in the enclosurewithin the housing directed for communication in a first directionrelative to the node, a second radio with a second antenna disposedcompletely in the enclosure within the housing directed forcommunication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, and a power supply in electrical communication with the firstand second radios to power the first and second radios.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a plurality of nodes disposed in thetunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi withdevices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, afirst radio with a first antenna disposed at least partly in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a firstdirection relative to the node, a second radio with a second antennadisposed at least partly in the enclosure within the housing directedfor communication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, the first radio with the first antenna disposed within 18inches of the second radio with the second antenna, and a power supplyin electrical communication with the first and second radios to powerthe first and second radios.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus for holding an object ina mine from a first mine roof bolt and a second mine roof bolt in theroof of the mine. The apparatus comprises a bag having an openingthrough which the object is placed within the bag. A first strap extendsfrom the bag having a first engagement portion that connects to thefirst mine bolt extending from the mine roof. A second strap extendsfrom the bag having a second engagement portion that connects to thesecond mine bolt extending from the mine roof, the bag swinging on thefirst strap and the second strap when a force is applied to the bag.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minehaving a mine power source providing power at a first voltage. Thesystem comprises a plurality of nodes. Each node having a power supplyand a radio. The power supply of a first node of the plurality of nodesconnected by a first power cable to the mine power source. The powersupply of the first node providing power to the radio of the first nodeat a second voltage less than the first voltage. The power supply of asecond node of the plurality of nodes connected by a second power cableto the power supply of the first node and receiving power at the firstvoltage from the power supply of the first node. The power supply of thesecond node providing power to the radio of the second node at thesecond voltage less than the first voltage.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a plurality of nodes disposed in thetunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi withdevices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, afirst radio with a first antenna disposed at least partly in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a firstdirection relative to the node, a second radio with a second antennadisposed at least partly in the enclosure within the housing directedfor communication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, and a power supply in electrical communication with the firstand second radios to power the first and second radios. The plurality ofnodes simultaneously use FCC 47CFR 15.47 “802.11 WiFi” and 47CFR 15.211“tunnel radio” on the first radio with the first antenna and the secondradio with the second antenna, and there is dynamic frequency selectionof non WiFi channels 2300˜2400 Mhz and 2400˜2500 Mhz for mesh internodeconnections while also providing 2412˜2485 Mhz for standard 802.11 WiFidevices. The first radio of a first node of the plurality of nodesutilizes the non WiFi channels and the second radio of the first nodeutilizes the WiFi channels. In a second node of the plurality of nodesof a next hop, the first radio of the second node receives WiFi channelsfrom the second radio of the first node while the second radio of thesecond node receives the non WiFi channels. In a third node of theplurality of nodes of a second hop, the first radio of the third nodeutilizes the non WiFi channels and the second radio of the third nodeutilizes the WiFi channels; one of two 20/40 Mhz channels are usedcentered at 2412 and 2462 which allows WiFi devices or the nodes to runon the upper or lower 20 Mhz of the channels while also providing anextra 20 Mhz for mesh connections to other nodes that does not interferewith WiFi devices.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a plurality of nodes disposed in thetunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi withdevices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, afirst radio with a first antenna disposed at least partly in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a firstdirection relative to the node, a second radio with a second antennadisposed at least partly in the enclosure within the housing directedfor communication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, and a power supply in electrical communication with the firstand second radios to power the first and second radios, wherein dynamicfrequency selection is used to auto configure what channel to use.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a plurality of nodes disposed in thetunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi withdevices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, afirst radio with a first antenna disposed at least partly in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a firstdirection relative to the node, a second radio with a second antennadisposed at least partly in the enclosure within the housing directedfor communication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, and a power supply in electrical communication with the firstand second radios to power the first and second radio, wherein a signalto noise ratio “SNR” and RSSI for mesh connection between nodes is usedwhile running in AP mode and providing 802.11 WiFi on the first radioand the second radio to audibly and visually see the status of aconnection to another node connected via mesh protocol.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a plurality of nodes disposed in thetunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi withdevices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, afirst radio with a first antenna disposed at least partly in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a firstdirection relative to the node, a second radio with a second antennadisposed at least partly in the enclosure within the housing directedfor communication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, and a power supply in electrical communication with the firstand second radios to power the first and second radios. Each nodeself-contained and fully operational upon receiving power withoutneeding to do anything else. Each node having a range of at least 2000ft. in the first direction and the second direction.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a plurality of nodes disposed in thetunnels in the mine which provides communication through WiFi withdevices in the mine. Each node having a housing defining an enclosure, afirst radio with a first antenna disposed at least partly in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a firstdirection relative to the node, a second radio with a second antennadisposed at least partly in the enclosure within the housing directedfor communication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, and a power supply in electrical communication with the firstand second radios to power the first and second radios. The plurality ofnodes defining a network having up to 200 mbps of throughput betweenradios of nodes at distances of up to about 1000 ft. and about 80 Mps atdistances greater than about 1000 ft.

The present invention pertains to a WiFi node for a mine with tunnels.The node comprises a housing defining an enclosure, a first radio with afirst antenna disposed completely in the enclosure within the housingdirected for communication in a first direction relative to the node, asecond radio with a second antenna disposed completely in the enclosurewithin the housing directed for communication in a second directionessentially opposite the first direction, and a power supply inelectrical communication with the first and second radios to power thefirst and second radios.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels. The system comprises a vehicle and a WiFi node disposed onthe vehicle.

The present invention pertains to a method of a telecommunicationssystem for a mine with tunnels. The method comprises the steps ofproviding with a plurality of nodes disposed in the tunnels in the minecommunication through WiFi with devices in the mine. Each node having ahousing defining an enclosure, a first radio with a first antennadisposed completely in the enclosure within the housing directed forcommunication in a first direction relative to the node, a second radiowith a second antenna disposed completely in the enclosure within thehousing directed for communication in a second direction essentiallyopposite the first direction; and powering with a power supply inelectrical communication with the first and second radios the first andsecond radios.

The present invention pertains to a method of a WiFi node for a minewith tunnels. The method comprises the steps of placing the node in amine. The node having a housing defining an enclosure, a first radiowith a first antenna disposed completely in the enclosure within thehousing directed for communication in a first direction relative to thenode, a second radio with a second antenna disposed completely in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a seconddirection essentially opposite the first direction, and a power supplyin electrical communication with the first and second radios to powerthe first and second radios; receiving by the node a signal from a WiFidevice in the mine; and transmitting the signal by the node to anothernode.

The present invention pertains to a method of a telecommunicationssystem for a mine with tunnels. The method comprises the steps of movinga vehicle in a mind; and receiving by a node on the vehicle a signalfrom a WiFi device in the mine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the inventionand preferred methods of practicing the invention are illustrated inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a node of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a representation of a cross-sectional cutaway view of thenode.

FIG. 2B is a representation of a perspective view of the node.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the node.

FIG. 4 is a representation of a bag which holds a node hanging from amine roof.

FIG. 5A is an overhead view of the housing.

FIG. 5B is a bottom view of the housing.

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional side view of the housing.

FIG. 6 is a computer-generated photograph of the node.

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a network.

FIG. 8 is an overhead view of the node.

FIG. 9 is a representation of the node extending from the bag.

FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a network.

FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of a network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer tosimilar or identical parts throughout the several views, and morespecifically to FIG. 10 thereof, there is shown a telecommunicationssystem 10 for a mine 12 with tunnels 14. The system 10 comprises aplurality of nodes 16 disposed in the tunnels 14 in the mine 12 whichprovides communication through WiFi with devices 18 in the mine 12. Eachnode 16 has a housing 20 defining an enclosure 22, a first radio 24 witha first antenna 26 disposed at least partly in the enclosure 22 withinthe housing 20 directed for communication in a first direction 28relative to the node 16, and a second radio 30 with a second antenna 32disposed at least partly in the enclosure 22 within the housing 20directed for communication in a second direction 34 essentially oppositethe first direction 28, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 a, 2 b, 6 and 8. Thefirst radio 24 with the first antenna 26 is disposed within 18 inches ofthe second radio 30 with the second antenna 32. Each node 16 has a powersupply 36 in electrical communication with the first and second radios24, 30 to power the first and second radios 24, 30.

The first radio 24 with the first antenna 26 may be disposed completelyin the enclosure 22 within the housing 20, and the second radio 30 withthe second antenna 32 may be disposed completely in the enclosure 22within the housing 20. The system 10 may include an attachment 77, whichmay have a first mine roof bolt 42 and a second mine roof bolt 44 in theroof 46 of the mine 12, a bag 48 having an opening 50 through which oneof the nodes 16 of the plurality of nodes 16 is placed within the bag48, a first strap 52 extending from the bag 48 having a first engagementportion 54 that connects to the first mine bolt extending from the mineroof 46, and a second strap 56 extending from the bag 48 having a secondengagement portion 58 that connects to the second mine bolt extendingfrom the mine roof 46, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 . The bag 48 swingingon the first strap 52 and the second strap 56 when a force is applied tothe bag 48.

The plurality of nodes 16 simultaneously may use FCC 47CFR 15.47 “802.11WiFi” and 47CFR 15.211 tunnel radio 66 on the first radio 24 with thefirst antenna 26 and the second radio 30 with the second antenna 32, andthere may be dynamic frequency selection of non WiFi channels 2300˜2400Mhz and 2400˜2500 Mhz for mesh internode connections while alsoproviding 2412˜2485 Mhz for standard 802.11 WiFi devices 18. The firstradio 24 of a first node 64 of the plurality of nodes 16 may utilize thenon WiFi channels and the second radio 30 of the first node 64 utilizesthe WiFi channels. In a second node 68 of the plurality of nodes 16 of anext hop, the first radio 24 of the second node 68 receives WiFichannels from the second radio 30 of the first node 64 while the secondradio 30 of the second node 68 receives the non WiFi channels. In athird node 69 of the plurality of nodes 16 of a second hop, the firstradio 24 of the third node 69 utilizes the non WiFi channels and thesecond radio 30 of the third node utilizes the WiFi channels. One of two20/40 Mhz channels may be used centered at 2412 and 2462 which allowsWiFi devices 18 or the nodes 16 to run on the upper or lower 20 Mhz ofthe channels while also providing an extra 20 Mhz for mesh connectionsto other nodes 16 that does not interfere with WiFi devices 18.

Dynamic frequency selection may be used to auto configure what channelto use. A signal to noise ratio “SNR” and RSSI for mesh connectionbetween nodes 16 may be used while running in AP mode and providing802.11 WiFi on the first radio 24 and the second radio 30 to audiblyhear and visually see the connection's status to another node 16connected via mesh protocol.

Each node 16 may be self-contained and fully operational upon receivingpower without needing to do anything else. Each node 16 may have a rangeof at least 2000 ft. in the first direction 28 and in the seconddirection 34. The plurality of nodes 16 may define a network 74 havingup to 200 mbps of throughput between radios of nodes 16 at distances ofup to 1000 ft. and about 80 Mps at distances greater than 1000 ft.

The enclosure 22 may be waterproof and may have a front 80 and a back82, at least a portion of each of the front 80 and the back 82 is madeof a material that allows RF energy to penetrate. The first and secondradios 24, 30 may support frequencies between 800 MHz and 2.5 GHz. Thefirst and second radios 24, 30 support both IEEE 802.11 b/g/n standardsas well as a desired communication standard.

The first antenna 26 may have most of its gain and directs RF radiationin a focused beam in the first direction 28, and the second antenna 32may have most of its gain and directs RF radiation in a focused beam inthe second direction 34. The power supply 36 may allow the first andsecond radios 24, 30 to be powered from a Power over Ethernet (PoE)source. The power supply 36 may support an input voltage range of 12˜50VDC. The first and second radios 24, 30 may operate either in a meshconfiguration 150, as shown in FIG. 10 , or in a point to pointconfiguration 140, as shown in FIG. 7 . Which configuration the firstand second radios 24, 30 operate in may be changed remotely at any timeafter installation.

The first radio 24 may be disposed on a first board 84 with a firstplate 88. The second radio 30 may be disposed on a second board 86 witha second plate 90 bolted to the first plate 88 to form a sandwich 94,the sandwich 94 disposed in the enclosure 22 and bolted to the housing20. The first antenna 26 may be separated by less than 12 inches fromthe second antenna 32. There may be at least 30 MHz between the firstradio's channels and the second radio's channels. FIGS. 5 a, 5 b and 5 cshow the top, bottom and cross-sectional exploded views of the housing20.

The first antenna 26 may be vertically polarized and the first radio 24may have a third antenna 96 which is horizontally polarized and placedadjacent to and in parallel with the first antenna 26 with the thirdantenna 96 under the first antenna 26 and being longer than the firstantenna 26, as shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b . The second antenna 32 may bevertically polarized and the second radio 30 may have a fourth antenna98 which is horizontally polarized and placed adjacent to and inparallel with the second antenna 32 and under the second antenna 32 withthe fourth antenna 98 being longer than the second antenna 32.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system 10 for amine 12 having a mine power source 60 providing power at a firstvoltage, as shown in FIG. 10 . The system 10 comprises a plurality ofnodes 16. Each node 16 has a power supply 36 and a radio 66. The powersupply 36 of a first node 64 of the plurality of nodes 16 is connectedby a first power cable 70 to the mine power source 60. The power supply36 of the first node 64 providing power to the radio 66 of the firstnode 64 at a second voltage less than the first voltage. The powersupply 36 of a second node 68 of the plurality of nodes 16 connected bya second power cable 72 to the power supply 36 of the first node 64 andreceiving power at the first voltage from the power supply 36 of thefirst node 64. The power supply 36 of the second node 68 providing powerto the radio 66 of the second node 68 at the second voltage less thanthe first voltage. The operation of the first node 64 is described belowand in regard to FIG. 3 .

The present invention pertains to a WiFi node 16 for a mine 12 withtunnels 14. The node 16 comprises a housing 20 defining an enclosure 22.The node 16 comprises a first radio 24 with a first antenna 26 disposedcompletely in the enclosure 22 within the housing 20 directed forcommunication in a first direction 28 relative to the node 16. The node16 comprises a second radio 30 with a second antenna 32 disposedcompletely in the enclosure 22 within the housing 20 directed forcommunication in a second direction 34 essentially opposite the firstdirection 28. The node 16 comprises a power supply 36 in electricalcommunication with the first and second radios 24, 30 to power the firstand second radios 24, 30.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system 10 for amine 12 with tunnels 14, as shown in FIG. 10 . The system 10 comprises avehicle 76. The present invention comprises a WiFi node 16 disposed onthe vehicle 76.

The present invention pertains to a method of a telecommunicationssystem 10 for a mine 12 with tunnels 14. The method comprises the stepsof providing with a plurality of nodes 16 disposed in the tunnels 14 inthe mine 12 communication through WiFi with devices 18 in the mine 12.Each node 16 has a housing 20 defining an enclosure 22, a first radio 24with a first antenna 26 disposed completely in the enclosure 22 withinthe housing 20 directed for communication in a first direction 28relative to the node 16, a second radio 30 with a second antenna 32disposed completely in the enclosure 22 within the housing 20 directedfor communication in a second direction 34 essentially opposite thefirst direction 28. There is the step of powering with a power supply 36in electrical communication with the first and second radios 24, 30 thefirst and second radios 24, 30.

The present invention pertains to a method of a WiFi node 16 for a mine12 with tunnels 14. The method comprises the steps of placing the node16 in a mine 12. The node 16 has a housing 20 defining an enclosure 22,a first radio 24 with a first antenna 26 disposed completely in theenclosure 22 within the housing 20 directed for communication in a firstdirection 28 relative to the node 16, a second radio 30 with a secondantenna 32 disposed completely in the enclosure 22 within the housing 20directed for communication in a second direction 34 essentially oppositethe first direction 28, and a power supply 36 in electricalcommunication with the first and second radios 24, 30 to power the firstand second radios 24, 30. There is the step of receiving by the node 16a signal from a WiFi device in the mine 12. There is the step oftransmitting the signal wirelessly by the node 16 to another node 16.

The present invention pertains to a method of a telecommunicationssystem 10 for a mine 12 with tunnels 14. The method comprises the stepof moving a vehicle 76 in a mine 12. There is the step of receiving by anode 16 attached directly to the vehicle 76 a wireless signal from aWiFi device in the mine 12.

The present invention pertains to a telecommunications system 10 for amine 12 with tunnels 14. The system 10 comprises a plurality of nodes 16disposed in the tunnels 14 in the mine 12 which provides communicationthrough WiFi with devices 18 in the mine 12. Each node 16 having ahousing 20 defining an enclosure 22, a first radio 24 with a firstantenna 26 disposed completely in the enclosure 22 within the housing 20directed for communication in a first direction 28 relative to the node16, a second radio 30 with a second antenna 32 disposed completely inthe enclosure 22 within the housing 20 directed for communication in asecond direction 34 essentially opposite the first direction 28, and apower supply 36 in electrical communication with the first and secondradios 24, 30 to power the first and second radios 24, 30.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus 38 for holding an object40 in a mine 12 from a first mine roof bolt 42 and a second mine roofbolt 44 in the roof 46 of the mine 12. The apparatus 38 comprises a bag48 having an opening 50 through which the object 40 is placed within thebag 48. The apparatus 38 comprises a first strap 52 extending from thebag 48 having a first engagement portion 54 that connects to the firstmine bolt extending from the mine 12 roof 46. The apparatus 38 comprisesa second strap 56 extending from the bag 48 having a second engagementportion 58 that connects to the second mine bolt extending from the mine12 roof 46. The bag 48 swinging on the first strap 52 and the secondstrap 56 when a force is applied to the bag 48.

In the operation of the invention, the WiFi node 16, as shown in FIG. 8, has two modes of operation: The first is as an 802.11b/g/n accesspoint and the second is as a communication backbone. Both modes containthe same physical hardware but operate utilizing one of these twomethods. A plurality of nodes 16 comprises a system 10. The system 10 isdesigned to be deployed in underground mining environments. Theself-contained hardware of the node 16 comprises two or more radios 66,internal antennas, power supply 36 and switch 21 components, as shown inFIG. 1 .

External Box:

The wireless components will all be placed into a single waterproof boxor housing 20. The box could be made from a variety of material but musthave a material on the front 80 and back 82 to allow the RF energy topenetrate.

Wireless Radio 66:

The device will contain two or more wireless radios 66. The radios 66can support both the IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards as well as a desiredcommunication standard. The radios 66 can be configured to supportfrequencies between 800 MHz and 2.5 GHz (although addition spectrumcould also be supported). Two radios 66 were chosen for a few reasons.

-   -   1) In a mesh or multi point system, with one radio 66,        throughput is nearly halved for each hop. One radio 66 is used        for each connection and so the node 16 does not have this        limitation.    -   2) It was desired to have both a directional and small        integrated antenna and the radio 66 board chosen has a small        panel antenna on the board. A typical install in an entry        requires at least 2 directions and sometimes 3 or more.

Antenna:

The node 16 also contains two or more self-contained antennas. Theantennas are selected to allow for most of the gain to be in onedirection and have minimal back or end fire. The antennas will bepositioned in such a manner to direct energy to the desired directions.The node 16 will direct energy in opposite directions. These antennascould be of a variety of shapes and sizes including panel, patch, flat,microstrip, array, etc. The antenna must be located in the box to allowthe RF energy to be directed out each direction. In a typicalunderground mine 12 there is no need for omni directional coverage sincethere are ribs “walls” on both sides and need coverage in two or moredirections. By having a focused beam less energy is wasted on the ribsand more of it reaches the intended coverage area.

Power Supply 36:

The power supply 36 would allow all the components in the box to bepowered from a Power Over Ethernet (PoE) source. The power supply 36would support input voltage range of 12˜50 VDC. The power supply 36would convert this voltage to an acceptable voltage level for eachcomponent.

Switch 21 Network:

The switch 21 component's purpose is to provide communication betweenthe two radios 66 and one or more outside entities. The communicationcould be Ethernet or IEEE 802.3, Mod-bus, CAN or a desired communicationprotocol. The switch 21 component could be a standard EthernetSwitch/Bridge or Ethernet Hub. All connections to outside Ethernetdevices would be over a standard CAT 5, CAT 5e or CAT6 Ethernet cable122, and which allows the nodes 16 to be daisy chained together.

Function:

This invention allows multiple wireless components to relay informationinto and out of underground mines. The components can also provide openaccess to 802.11b/g/n compliant devices 18 underground. The radios 66can operate either in mesh configuration 150 or in a point to pointconfiguration 140. The configuration is chosen at time of installation,so the node 16 is installed with the desired configuration. Theconfiguration can be changed at any time after installation by logginginto the node 16 through the established communication network 74, andchanging the configuration.

The mine environment is very hard on RF. There are typically many metalobjects that cause multipath. The type of mine absorbs RF at differentfrequencies. The mine 12 layout can also cause multipath issues.

Mesh:

When the nodes 16 are in a mesh configuration 150, as shown in FIG. 10 ,the network 74 will automatically determine the best route forinformation to travel. The mesh network 150 must be configured to reducethe probability of network 74 “loops” or the passing of data in acircular fashion.

One of two loop prevention techniques is used depending on the intendeduse of the node 16.

-   -   1) Wireless distribution system (WDS) with rapid spanning tree        protocol (RSTP)    -   2) Or WDS with Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol (HWMP)

Point to Point:

When the nodes 16 are deployed in a point to point mode 140 ofoperation, as shown in FIG. 140 , the node 16 will have an inbye face(into the mine 12) and an outbye face (out of the mine 12). The node 16should be pointing in the correct direction for the connection to beestablished. The point to point link will utilize one or morefrequencies to provide the maximum amount of data throughput and assistwith noise immunization. A sticker is placed on one side of the node 16and when deployed the sticker side of the node 16 faces inbye.

When the system 10 is deployed in a point to point fashion 140, thenodes 16 create a parent-child relationship with the next node 124 inthe network 74. The nodes 16 are configured to uniquely identify thenext node 124 and ignore the other radios contained within the same node16. Connection rules applied to the node 16 allow connections to othernodes 16 but will not connect to nodes 16 directly connected to eachother. This allows easy deployment with no user configuration needed.

Deployment:

The invention will be deployed by hanging the node 16 inside a bag 48 orwiring from the roof 46. The bag 48, as shown in FIG. 9 , will includestraps of 4-8′ in length with hooks attached to the end of each strap.The hooks will be selected to easily hang the node 16 from the head wallor ceiling of the mine 12. The bag 48 could be made out of reflectivematerial. FIGS. 4 and 9 show a bag 48 with straps.

Power:

The node 16 will be powered over one cable and will provide externalcommunication to one or more wired devices 18 as well as multiplewireless devices 18, such as laptops, PDAs, phones and tablets. Thenodes 16 will pass through the source power allowing multiple nodes tobe daisy chained. Up to 4 or 5 nodes 16 may be daisy chained off of onemine power source 60.

Parts list:

-   -   1, Description: Housing 20-14.17″×6.29″×3.54″        -   a. Qty: 1        -   b. Manufacturer: Rose Bopla        -   c. Part Number: 21636090        -   d. Vendor: Rose Bopla or Digi-Key    -   2. Description: Wi-Fi Radios 66        -   a. Qty: 2        -   b. Manufacturer: Mikrotik        -   c. Part Number: RBSXTG-2HND        -   d. Vendor: Streakwave or ROCNOC    -   3. Description: POE Switch 21        -   a. Qty: 1        -   b. Manufacturer: Mikrotik        -   c. Part Number: RB/750UP        -   d. Vendor: Streakwave or ROCNOC    -   4. Description: CATS shielded cable gland 120 with 1′ pigtail—        (from outside node to node)        -   a. Qty: 2        -   b. Part Number: RJ45-ECS        -   c. Vendor: Streakwave    -   5. Shielded patch cord 1′ (between radio and switch in node)        -   a. Qty:2        -   b. Manufacturer: 1-com        -   c. Part Number: TRD855SCR-1        -   d. Vendor: L-com    -   6. Hex board standoff #6-32¼″ bolts        -   a. Qty: 8        -   b. Manufacturer: keystone electronics or others        -   c. Part Number: 8717K-ND        -   d. Vendor: Digi Key    -   7. Hex board standoff #6-32 1 1.5″ between board″″        -   a. Qty: 3        -   b. Manufacturer: Keystone Electronics or others        -   c. Part Number: 8422K-ND        -   d. Vendor: Digi Key    -   8. Hex board standoff 6-32 1¾″ between board        -   a. Qty:6        -   b. Manufacturer: keystone        -   c. Part Number: 8424K-ND        -   d. Vendor:digi key    -   9. Button screws 6-32×⅜″        -   a. Qty: 4        -   b. Manufacturer: any        -   c. Vendor: any (I got them at hardware store.)    -   10. Button Screw 6-32×¼″        -   a. Manufacturer: any        -   b. Vendor: any    -   11. Custom Mounting plate and top seal plate+enclosure machining        -   a. Qty:1 set        -   b. Manufacturer: Cummings Engineering        -   c. Part Number: Box Platel        -   d. Vendor: Cummings Engineering    -   12. Led light guide        -   a. Part Number: 593-FLX302 light pipe 5 per node        -   b. Venfor Mouser electronics        -   c. Part Number: 593-THR22 light pipe lens 5 per node        -   d. Vendor Mouser electronics

Unique features of WiFi Nodes 16:

-   -   Simultaneous use of FCC 47CFR 15.47 “802.11 WiFi” and 47CFR        15.211 “tunnel radio” on the same radio/antenna. (for        underground use only), Dynamic Frequency selection of custom non        WiFi channels 2300˜2400 Mhz and 2400˜2500 Mhz for mesh internode        connections while also providing 2412˜2485 Mhz for standard        802.11 WiFi devices 18. Both operate in parallel at channels        separate enough so there is no interference. First radio 24 on        takes the lower channel and the second radio 30 on takes the        higher channel. In next node 68 of next hop, the first radio 24        of next hop receives lower channel from first radio 24 of source        and takes higher channel while second radio 30 of next hop takes        lower channel. Third like first, and so on alternating.

One of two 20/40 Mhz channels are used centered at 2412 and 2462. Thisallows standard WiFi devices 18 or nodes 16 of the present invention torun on the upper or lower 20 Mhz of the channel while also providing anextra 20 Mhz for mesh connections to other nodes 16 that does notinterfere with WiFi devices 18 in underground use only. This is onlyallowed underground as they would be licensed channels on the surface.47CFR15.211 allows the use of these frequency's for underground use.

Dynamic frequency selection is used to auto configure what channel touse. This is done to allow no configuration from the user since mostnodes 16 have two radios 66. One will run on the lower channel and oneon the upper channel. The large amount of attenuation found in minesallows two channels to be enough for staggered reuse of channels. Thisway it does not matter how the nodes 16 are deployed, they won'tinterfere with each other.

-   -   Custom signal meter and signal to noise ratio “SNR” for mesh        connection between nodes 16 while running in AP mode and        providing 802.11 WiFi on the same radio/antenna. These features        are normally only available while running in Station mode.        Normal 802.11 WiFi devices 18 running in AP mode with WDS have        no way easy way to monitor connections. The node 16 uses the        RSSI and SNR to audibly and visually see the status of a        connection to another node 16 connected via mesh protocol while        ignoring client connections.    -   Only self-contained underground WiFi system available, 4˜5times        more coverage from one node 16 than any other system currently        in the market for underground use. Just plug in power and on.        Tuning info to expand coverage at least 2000 ft. in mine 12        preferred 3750-4250. All other current purpose built underground        WiFi systems use external antennas and coax cable that        complicate the install and are easily damaged in the harsh        environment. The node 16 has all components in a small durable        housing 20 and the manner the nodes 16 are hanged allows them to        take a shock/hit from vehicles 76 and continue to work        afterwards. The walls of the housing 20 are about 3/16″        thickness.

Use of multiple in multiple out (MIMO), placement/type of antenna,tuning of hardware retries and hardware fragmentation for theunderground environment has increased the coverage distance considerablyover other WiFi systems.

-   -   Considerably faster than any currently available underground        radio systems, up to 200 mbps of throughput between radios at        shorter distances and 80 Mps at node's maximum distance.

Targeted as a replacement of fiber, a way was needed to transport a highamount of data and standard WiFi protocol cannot do this. Node 16 usesthe NV2 protocol with instream, and no use of carrier sense multipleaccess (CSMA) for the backhaul or backbone nodes 155.

-   -   Power input output range and method board (first board 84,        second board 86).

This board allows 12˜50 v dc input and outputs both lower voltage forinternal components and the higher input voltage is passed outside toallow daisy chaining multiple nodes 16.

In the operation of the node 16, it provides a fast, easy, and reliablereplacement for fiber optic cable. This required the node 16 to have anoperational distance of at least 4000′ and speeds near 80 Mbps or moreper node 16 to be suitable as a fiber replacement. Other observedunderground wireless systems either combine fiber with wireless or onlyprovide fully wireless to distances of 400˜1000 feet and speeds far toolow to replace fiber completely. The node 16 meets all theserequirements without the need of any fiber optic cable.

To deal with the possibility of physical damage, and provide ease ofinstallation, a small and sturdy self-contained system was chosen thatonly required the node 16 to be plugged into a mine power source 60 andhung with a bag 48 from roof bolts 92. A metal housing 20 could not beused for RF reasons and all of the tested polycarbonate cases were fartoo weak to effectively withstand typical forces that might beexperienced, so a fiberglass reinforced polyester plastic was chosen tobe used for the material of the housing 20 to define the housing 20.FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show different views of the housing 20. The housing20 and glands 120 through which cables 122 extend into the housing 20are all IR66 compliant. A bag 48 with adjustable straps and hooks wasdesigned that easily adjusts to roof 46 bolt placement and quicklyattaches to bolt flanges. The bag 48 is padded with padding 147 and thestraps allow the node 16 to swing out of the way from equipment ifstruck. FIG. 9 shows a node 16 extending out of the bag 48 as it appearsjust before it is fully inserted in the bag 48.

Each radio 66 board/antenna is removed from the manufacture enclosure. Asandwich 94 of two radio boards with two UHMW plates are boltedtogether, and then the sandwich 94 is bolted into the enclosure 22 ofthe reinforced fiberglass housing 20. This sandwich 94 was created to bedurable enough for mining and to prepare for MSHA drop tests. See FIGS.2 a and 2 b . Without the sandwich 94, the radio boards easily brokeloose and rattled around in the enclosure 22.

The self-contained enclosure 22 presented another issue to overcome dueto the need for multiple radios 66 and antennas in such a small spacewhere self-interference was a significant concern. Normal placement ofantennas would require 3 feet or more of separation, but the node 16design dictated separation of the antennas by less than 12 inches andeven less than 1 inch. This small operational separation distance wasachieved by placing 30 Mhz between the two channels(2382˜2422)(2452˜2492), one channel for each radio 66. These can beexpanded or added to as needed. At a separation distance of ½″ or ¾″with 30 MHZ between channels, there is still found some interference butit an acceptable level to meet the speed and distance needs in a mine 12as set out here.

The node 16 contains four antennas, in a configuration where one isvertically polarized and one is horizontally polarized for eachdirection. The vertically polarized and horizontally polarized antennasare placed adjacent and in parallel but with the antenna under the otherantenna being longer. This antenna configuration combined with MIMOfacilitates multipath and increases the distance and throughput ofcommunication in a mine 12 environment to that specified herein.Additionally, radio 66 hardware retries and fragmentation variables havebeen adjusted to perform better and acceptably in mines. The hardwareretry value is between 4-7 depending on type of mine 12 in which thenode 16 is used. There is a hardware fragmentation value between1500˜2312 depending on the type of mine 12 in which the node 16 is used.This is also known as MSDU (MAC service data unit).

To allow miners to quickly deploy nodes 16 by simply plugging them in toa power source, an auto configuration is used. Frequency selection, IPaddressing, mesh link setup/tear down all are dynamic and happen with noinput from the end user. Auto configuration can be over ridden if sochosen, but in most cases the default auto settings established with thenode 16 will work fine. Auto configuration is established by thecapability of the components, as provided by the vendors, chosen to bein the node 16. The auto configuration includes the use of DHDP.

Dynamic IP addresses are used for management only and are not needed toprovide data service. Dynamic frequency selection is used to allowfrequency reuse without configuration. Dynamic mesh setup is used toallow for movement of nodes 16 without user reconfiguration and alsowill allow the use of mobile repeater stations connected to mantrips.

When a node 16 is plugged in, its radio 1 starts looking for a mesh WDSconnection on a dedicated SSID for data transport to upstream/downstreamnodes 16 and also starts servicing WIFI access on each radio 66. Once aconnection to another node 16 is created it will start looking for amanagement IP from a DHCP server. Radio2 will start up slightly afterradio1 and does the same thing. If no other nodes 16 are in range radio1 will pick the lower channel and radio2 will pick the upper channel. Ifother nodes 16 were found, radio 1 will pick the channel with best noisefloor and radio2 will run on the other and so on as nodes 16 are added.

In order to easily see the status of mesh links, a custom monitor scriptwas made that looks at connections from an upstream or downstream node16 attempting to connect via a specific SSID/WDS and based on the RSSIand SNR of the connection. For instance 3 signal levels can be used,although a 4^(th) and 5^(th) or several additional signal levels canalso be used. The 3 signal levels that are used are:

low=1 light RSSI greater than −85 & SNR between a first range 0 and 19

mid=2 lights RSSI greater than −75 & SNR between a second range 20 and34

high=3 lights RSSI greater than −65 & SNR greater than a third range 35

The first led can be made to flash if no signal is present.

The script accordingly populates a set of LED lights on one of theradios 66 and also beeps in sequence to indicate the link status. Thescript is stored in each radio 66. This script ignores any clientconnections i.e. laptops, phones etc. A set of connection rules in thescript assures only the nodes 16 can connect via this method and willnot allow connections outside acceptable ranges.

The script first checks to see if any mesh connections exist. If not, itsleeps then checks again. Once one or more mesh connections are found,the script looks at the one with the highest RSSI and takes its RSSI andSNR values and populates each led based on these values.

The connection rules only allow a mesh connection from devices 18matching the Strata OUI mac address. If the mac matches this, a 2^(nd)rule for signal level only accepts the mesh connection if the RSSI andSNR are within acceptable levels to meet the distance and speedrequirement for a fiber replacement. A Wifi connection can come from anydevice and does not use any connection rules. No optical fiberconnection is needed for communication.

Housing 20 specs:

14.17″×6.30″×3.58″

Technical Data:

Color: Gray is standard similar to

-   -   RAL 7000.        Material: Fiberglass reinforced    -   Polyester plastic.

Impact Resistance: >7 Nm,

-   -   EN50014.

Flammability: Self-extinguishing,

-   -   UL 94 VO.

Gasket Temperature Range:

-   -   Polyurethane Foam Gasket −40° F. to +194° F.

Silicone Foam Gasket −76° ° F. to +266° F.

-   -   Neoprene Gasket −40° F. to +212° ° F.    -   RFI Gasket −40° F. to +392° F.

Captive Stainless Steel Lid Screws.

Surface Resistance: >10¹² static resistance Ohm to DIN 53482.

Disruptive Strength: 18 KV/mm to DIN 53482. Toxicity: Halogen Free.Protection Classifications:

-   -   NEMA Types: up to Nema 4, 4X    -   IP 66, EN 60529

As shown in FIG. 3 , the power supply 36 has two input/output ports 100,102 through which 12-50 V DC is received or sent out from the powersupply 36 through MSHA approved glands 120. The two input/output ports100, 102 are shorted together so that each of the two input/output portshas the same voltage. In this way the voltage received at oneinput/output port is sent out at the same voltage from the secondinput/output port. This allows the nodes 16 to be connected together,one to the next, in a daisy chain fashion to receive and then send outpower to the next node 16, and so on. Generally, 4 to 5 nodes 16 can belinked together by running a power cable to a first input/output port100 of the power supply 36 of a first node 64 and then running a secondpower cable 72 between the second input/output port of the power supply36 of the first node 64 to another input/output port of a power supply36 of a second node 68 and so on to a third and then to a fourth andpossibly to a fifth node to provide power to each of the nodes 16. Thesource of the power is from typical power sources 62 at variouslocations throughout the mine 12. In this way, many groups of up to fouror five nodes 16 can be easily powered. All input/output ports used arestandard Ethernet connectors, and are well known as RJ45 power overEthernet connectors.

To support the internal components of the node 16, the firstinput/output port 100 that has received power, drops the voltage down to9 V at a converter 101 and sends the power to a third input/output port104 of the power supply 36 of the node 16 and also to a fourthinput/output port 106 of the power supply 36 of the first node 64. Thethird input/output port 104 is connected to a first input/output port100 of an Ethernet switch and to the first radio 24 to provide powerswitch 21 at 9 V. The fourth input/output port 106 of the power supply36 is connected to a second input/output port 110 of the Ethernet switch21 and the second radio 30 to provide power at 9 V. A third input/outputport 112 of the Ethernet switch 21 is connected to an input/output port118 of the first radio 24 and provides switched Ethernet data to thefirst radio 24. A fourth input/output port 116 of the Ethernet switch 21provides switched data to a first input/output port 118 of the secondradio 30.

In addition, with this configuration, data from the radios 66 istransmitted and received through standard power over Ethernetcommunication, as is well known in the art, via the input/output portconnections that have just been described in regard to power. As statedabove, all of the input/output ports described are RJ45 Ethernetconnectors. The data in regard to the first and second radios 24, 30 isalways sent as a first choice through the cabling via the internalconnectivity when available. In the event the cable path for the data isbroken for whatever reason, the radios 66 then communicate wirelesslyfrom node to node.

The node 16 is positioned in the mine 12 with a bag 48 that holds thenode 16, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 . The bag 48 is fixed to the mineroof 46 with two mine roof bolts 42, 44. The bag 48 has a strap 52, 56on each side that extends from the bag 48 to the mine roof bolt on eachside. One or both of the straps can be adjustable. Each strap clips withclips 55 to a hook 57 that is commonly found on the flange of a mineroof bolt. As FIG. 4 shows, the bag 48 is positioned to span across thewidth of the mine 12 tunnel. The first strap 56 may include anadjustment 59 to better position the bag hanging from the roof 46 so thebag 48 hanging close to the roof 46. FIG. 4 shows the bag 48 as it wouldappear to a driver driving a vehicle 76 in the tunnel toward the bag 48.

By the bag 48 hanging from the mine roof bolts through the straps, thenode 16 is able to move out of the way of a vehicle 76 which strikes itto avoid damage. The node 16 in the bag 48 hanging from the mine roof 12repeatedly survived without any damage vehicles 76 going at about 20 mphhitting the bag 48 with the node 16 in it. Additionally, the node 16itself survived without any damage being dropped at least five timesfrom a height of 8 feet to ground, and continued to be fullyoperational. Furthermore, the bag 48 has a padding liner 147 that isabout ½″ thick insulation—foam or cotton—along the interior walls of thebag 48 to further protect the node 16 in the bag 48. There is a Velcroslit across the top of the bag 48 through which the node 16 ispositioned in the bag 48. Once in the bag 48, the Velcro slit is closedto contain the bag 48. The node 16 is positioned on its side in the bag48 so that one set of antennae is directed in each direction of thetunnel, that is one vertically polarized antenna and one horizontallypolarized antenna are directed inbye and one vertically polarizedantenna and one horizontally polarized antenna are directed outbye. Thebag 48 has a plastic window 149 so the LEDs 151 can be seen through thewindow.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 3 show a side representation, perspectiverepresentation and a block diagram, respectively, of the node 16. Eachantenna and radio 66 is removed from the packaging as received from themanufacturer. The first antennas 26 and radio 66 and the second antennas32 and radio 66 are bolted together in the form of a sandwich 94 with atop plate and a bottom plate of the sandwich 94. Each of the antennas ofa radio 66 point outward away from the other antennas of the other radio66. The sandwich 94 is formed by having both antenna and radio boardsbolted together to the top plate and bottom plate. In turn, the bottomplate is bolted to the bottom of the housing 20. There is a slot 81 cutinto the top plate and the bottom plate from which a respective set ofantennae extends. FIG. 6 shows a top perspective view of the top plateof the sandwich 94 with the slot for the antennae of the first radio 24to extend. The switch and the power supply 36 are disposed alongside theradio 66 and antenna and positioned between the top plate in the bottomplate. The description of the power provided to the components wasexplained above.

Installing WiFi Nodes 78

To install the first entry of coverage normally the travel way and withreference to FIG. 7 : Starting at a point of handoff to another network,i.e. a fiber or other customer network source and power source, a node16 should be plugged in to a mine power source 60 and cat5 data/powercable 122 connected. The node 16 should be placed and hung in the bag 48so one antenna faces inbye and the other outbye. Then to find thecorrect area to place the next inbye node 124, a portable power source60 can be connected to the next node 124 and the next node 124 is movedinbye while watching the LEDs 151, The next node 124 is continued to bemoved to the desired location or until only one of the LEDS are on. Anew mine 12 power source 60 is connected to the next node 124 through acat5/power cable 122. Additional nodes 16 are placed throughout the mine12 in the same manner creating wireless backhaul of nodes 16. Additionalnodes 16 are placed throughout the mine 12 as needed, until all areas inthe mine 12 requiring coverage have communication capability. Ifmultiple parallel entries are needed a cat5 cable 122 from one powersource can be run between entries to create a daisy chain in and out ofeach node 16, only one entry needs to be tested for signal levels; otherentries may or may not have a wireless connection to inbye nodes 16. Ifthey do, it will be used as an alternate for redundancy only. A node 16can have several power sources connected to it. For instance, there canbe cat5 cable 122 carrying power and data to it from another node 16,and a power cable from a mine power source 60 connected to the node 16.If the cat5 cable 122 from the other node 16 is cut or damaged, powerfrom the mine power source 60 continues to power the node 16 so the node16 can continue to communicate through its WiFi capability with othernodes 16.

Data path from client to customer network or other devices 18 on network74:

With reference to FIG. 10 , a client WiFi is made to the nearest node 16from a client device 18. Data leaving this device 18 travels across theWiFi link to a radio 66 inside the node 16. It is then passed to eitherthe 2^(nd) radio 66 via switch connection in the node 16 for the nextnode 16 in line via wireless mesh connection depending on which node 16of the mesh has the shortest path to the intended recipient. As the datareaches the 2^(nd) node 124 in line, it enters one radio 66 and ispassed to the switch 21 then passed to the other radio 66. The otherradio 66 sends the data upstream via the mesh. This continues until thedata reaches its intended destination where it is either passed to thecustomer network 74, other Ethernet device, or another wireless device18 depending where the data was intended to go.

In the alternative, or in addition to the mesh network 150 foradditional throughput, a point to point path can be provided.

In order to provide better coverage for traveling equipment, such asvehicles 76 as shown in FIG. 10 , and better cross cut coverage whenpulling into a cross cut to allow other traffic to pass, a node 16 maybe attached onto the traveling equipment. This will provide both a datauplink via mesh and provide WiFi services to devices 18 in and aroundthe equipment. The node 16 will be powered from the travelingequipment's 12 v source, such as the battery, or motor when on.Traveling equipment with a repeater node 16 attached will also normallyhave a voip phone connected directly to the node 16 via cat5 cable 122to provide phone service for anyone in the traveling equipment withouthanding out wireless phones to every miner. The use of dynamic mesh isvery well suited for this type of mobile system 10. The node 16 issimply positioned in the traveling equipment or fixed by a bracket tothe traveling equipment, and a cable from the electrical system of thetraveling equipment is connected with the node 16 to power the node 16.

FIG. 10 shows how to create both a daisy chain from power/data formultiple entry coverage and also create a mesh or point to pointwireless connection to up/downstream nodes 16. FIG. 11 shows how both Bnodes and A nodes can be used for larger deployments or increasedthroughput. FIG. 11 shows 5 hops on A nodes. The network shown in FIG.11 can support about 20 or more hops.

Although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoingembodiments for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood thatsuch detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be madetherein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention except as it may be described by thefollowing claims.

1. A telecommunications system for a mine with tunnels comprising: aplurality of nodes disposed in the tunnels in the mine which providescommunication through WI-FI with devices in the mine, each node having ahousing defining an enclosure, a first radio with a first antennacompletely disposed in the enclosure within the housing directed forcommunication in a first direction relative to the node, a second radiowith a second antenna completely disposed in the enclosure within thehousing directed for communication in a second direction essentiallyopposite the first direction, the first radio with the first antennadisposed within 18 inches of the second radio with the second antenna,and a power supply in electrical communication with the first and secondradios to power the first and second radios, the enclosure is waterproofand has a front and a back, at least a portion of each of the front andthe back is made of a material that allows RF energy to penetrate. 2.The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of nodes simultaneously useFCC 47CFR 15.47 “802.11 WI-FI” and 47CFR 15.211 tunnel radio on thefirst radio with the first antenna and the second radio with the secondantenna, and there is dynamic frequency selection of non-WI-FI channels2300˜2400 Mhz and 2400˜2500 Mhz for mesh internode connections whilealso providing 2412˜2485 Mhz for standard 802.11 WI-FI devices, thefirst radio of a first node of the plurality of nodes utilizes thenon-WI-FI channels and the second radio of the first node utilizes theWI-FI channels, in a second node of the plurality of nodes of a nexthop, the first radio of the second node receives WI-FI channels from thesecond radio of the first node while the second radio of the second nodereceives the non-WI-FI channels, in a third node of the plurality ofnodes of a second hop, the first radio of the third node utilizes thenon-WI-FI channels and the second radio of the third node utilizes theWI-FI channels; one of two 20/40 Mhz channels are used centered at 2412and 2462 which allows WI-FI devices or the nodes to run on the upper orlower 20 Mhz of the channels while also providing an extra 20 Mhz formesh connections to other nodes that does not interfere with WI-FIdevices.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein dynamic frequency selection isused to auto configure what channel to use.
 4. The system of claim 3wherein a signal to noise ratio “SNR” and RSSI for mesh connectionbetween nodes is used while running in AP mode and providing 802.11WI-FI on the first radio and the second radio to audibly hear andvisually see the connection's status to another node connected via meshprotocol.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein each node is self-containedand fully operational upon receiving power without needing to doanything else, each node having a range of at least 2000 ft. the firstdirection and the second direction.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein theplurality of nodes defining a network having up to about 200 mbps ofthroughput between radios of nodes at distances of up to about 1000 ft.and about 80 Mps at distances greater than about 1000 ft.
 7. The systemof claim 6 wherein the attachment includes a first mine roof bolt and asecond mine roof bolt in the roof of the mine, a bag having an openingthrough which one of the nodes of the plurality of nodes is placedwithin the bag, a first strap extending from the bag having a firstengagement portion that connects to the first mine bolt extending fromthe mine roof, and a second strap extending from the bag having a secondengagement portion that connects to the second mine bolt extending fromthe mine roof, the bag swinging on the first strap and the second strapwhen a force is applied to the bag.
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein theenclosure is waterproof and has a front and a back, at least a portionof each of the front and the back is made of a material that allows RFenergy to penetrate.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first andsecond radios support frequencies between 800 MHz and 2.5 GHz.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9 wherein the first and second radios support both IEEE802.11 b/g/n standards as well as a desired communication standard. 11.The system of claim 10 wherein the first antenna has most of its gainand directs RF radiation in a focused beam in the first direction, andthe second antenna has most of its gain and directs RF radiation in afocused beam in the second direction.
 12. The system of claim 11 whereinthe power supply allows the first and second radios to be powered from aPower over Ethernet (PoE) source.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein thepower supply supports an input voltage range of 12-50 VDC.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13 wherein the first and second radios operate either ina mesh configuration or in a point to point configuration.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein which configuration the first and secondradios operate in can be changed at any time after installation.
 16. Thesystem of claim 15 wherein the first radio is disposed on a first boardwith a first plate, the second radio is disposed on a second board witha second plate in parallel with the first plate and bolted to the firstplate to form a sandwich, the sandwich disposed in the enclosure andbolted to the housing.
 17. The system of claim 16 wherein there is atleast 30 MHz between the first radio's channels and the second radio'schannels.
 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the first antenna isvertically polarized and the first radio has a third antenna which ishorizontally polarized and placed adjacent to and in parallel with thefirst antenna with the third antenna under the first antenna and beinglonger than the first antenna; the second antenna is verticallypolarized and the second radio has a fourth antenna which ishorizontally polarized and placed adjacent to and in parallel with thesecond antenna and under the second antenna with the fourth antennabeing longer than the second antenna.
 19. The system of claim 18including a vehicle and another node of the plurality of nodes disposedon the vehicle.
 20. A method of a telecommunications system for a minewith tunnels comprising the steps of: providing with a plurality ofnodes disposed in the tunnels in the mine communication through WI-FIwith devices in the mine, each node having a housing defining anenclosure, a first radio with a first antenna disposed completely in theenclosure within the housing directed for communication in a firstdirection relative to the node, a second radio with a second antennadisposed completely in the enclosure within the housing directed forcommunication in a second direction essentially opposite the firstdirection, the first radio with the first antenna disposed within oneinch of the second radio with the second antenna; and powering with apower supply in electrical communication with the first and secondradios the first and second radios.